Welcome to the LSO
General Information

The Life Sciences Orchestra (LSO) is the symphonic orchestra for members of the life sciences community at the University of Michigan - including the University of Michigan Health System, Medical School, School of Dentistry, School of Public Health, College of Pharmacy, School of Nursing, and Rackham School of Graduate Studies. The LSO is part of the Gifts of Art program which brings the world of art and music to the University of Michigan Health System. Now in its seventh season, it is estimated that each of the fifteen past concerts has drawn over 1000 friends and family of the extended University of Michigan Life Sciences Community.

The orchestra was founded in fall of 2000 by a small group of musicians and artists at the University of Michigan Medical School and University of Michigan Health System. The concept was to provide a performance outlet for the many faculty, staff, students, and volunteers in life science disciplines at the university who had previous musical training but few opportunities to play. It is envisioned that the LSO will offer musicians in the life sciences an opportunity to play in a large ensemble, while building a sense of community across the different components of the life sciences on the University of Michigan campus.

The music director of the LSO is Clinton Smith. An executive committee of charter members guides operations. The orchestra will perform two free concerts per year, in the winter and spring. Over the long term, the orchestra hopes that these concerts will become benefits for charities. On occasion, subsets of the orchestra may be heard at special events.

To learn more about our next concert, visit our Concerts page.

If you are interested in auditioning for the LSO, visit our Musicians page.